Open Source License Management

1. A method of facilitating the creation of, evaluating and responding to requests to use open source software, the method comprising: a. allowing a programmer, via a computer input device, to create a request to use open source software in creating code for a product, wherein: i. the programmer is assigned to create code for the product; and ii. the request is created by entering data into a computer interface specialized for creation of open source requests; b. based on the request to use open source software in creating code for the product, storing a set of data in a memory, the set of data comprising: i. an indication of the product for which the programmer is assigned to create code; and ii. an indication of a license for the open source software requested to be used in creating code for the product; c. providing the programmer, via a computer display device, a response to the request to use open source software; d. based on the execution by a processor of a set of computer executable instructions stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium: i. determining whether a set of effects of granting the request to use open source software in creating code for the product is consistent with a set of commercial objectives for a business, wherein the programmer is assigned to create code for the product on behalf of the business; ii. based on the determination of whether the set of effects of granting the request to use open source software in creating code for the product is consistent with the set of commercial objectives for the business, generating the response to the request to use open source software; wherein: A. determining whether the set of effects of granting the request to use open source software in creating code for the product is consistent with the set of commercial objectives for the business comprises: I. determining a set of effects caused by an interaction with open source code indicated in the request to use open source software in creating the product, wherein determining the set of effects caused by the interaction with open source code indicated in the request to use open source software in creating the product comprises retrieving a first multi-valued attribute from a first database table, the values from the first multi-valued attribute representing effects caused by the interaction with open source code indicated in the request to use open source code in creating the product; and II. determining a set of effects caused by an intended use for the code the programmer requested to use open source software in creating, wherein determining the set of effects caused by the intended use for the code the programmer requested to use open source software in creating comprises retrieving a second multi-valued attribute from a second database table, the values from the second multi-valued attribute representing effects caused by the intended use for the code the programmer requested to use open source software in creating; III. retrieving a third multi-valued attribute from a third database table, the value from the third multi-valued attribute representing the commercial objectives for the business; IV. combining a plurality of multi-valued attributes comprising: the first multi-valued attribute; and the second multi-valued attribute; and V. comparing a result of combining the plurality of multi-valued attributes with the third multi-valued attribute.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein: a. the first multi-valued attribute, the second multi-valued attribute and the third multi-valued attribute are each represented by binary numbers comprising bits; b. the bits from the binary number representing the first multi-valued attribute represent effects caused by interaction with open source software; c. the bits from the binary number representing the second multi-valued attribute represent effects caused by use of code; d. the bits from the binary number representing the commercial objectives for the business represent commercial objectives; e. combining the plurality of multi-valued attributes comprises ORing binary numbers representing the multi-valued attributes from the plurality of multi-valued attributes; and f. comparing the result of combining the plurality of multi-valued attributes with the third multi-valued attribute comprises ANDing the binary number representing the third multi-valued attribute and the result of ORing the binary numbers representing the multi-valued attributes from the plurality of multi-valued attributes.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein: a. the first multi-valued attribute, the second multi-valued attribute and the third multi-valued attribute are each represented by numbers comprising prime factors; b. the prime factors from the number representing the first multi-valued attribute represent effects caused by interaction with open source software; c. the prime factors from the number representing the second multi-valued attribute represent effects caused by use of code; d. the prime factors from the number representing the third multi-valued attribute represent commercial objectives; e. combining the plurality of multi-attributes comprises multiplying numbers representing the multi-valued attributes from the plurality of multi-valued attributes together; and f. comparing the result of combining the plurality of multi-valued attributes with the third multi-valued attribute comprises determining if the number representing the third multi-valued attribute and the product of the numbers representing the multi-valued attributes from the plurality of multi-valued attributes have a prime factor greater than one.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein: a. the memory comprises a non-volatile memory; b. the set of data comprises: i. an indication of an intended use for the code the programmer requested to use open source software in creating; ii. an indication of an interaction with open source code indicated in the request to use open source software in creating the product; c. the computer interface specialized for creation of open source requests comprises tools identified in the computer interface as operable for indicating: i. the intended use for the code the programmer requested to use open source software in creating; ii. the interaction with open source code; iii. the product for which the programmer is assigned to create code; and iv. the license for the open source software requested to be used in creating code for the product.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising storing, in the non-volatile memory: a. an indication of software integrated in the product for which the programmer is assigned to create code; b. an indication of a set of licenses associated with the product for which the programmer is assigned to create code; c. an indication of a set of customers to whom the product for which the programmer is assigned to create code has been provided; and d. an indication of whether the product for which the programmer is assigned to create code has been screened to identify incoming licenses.